


Saturday Matinee... the Younger Years

by EventHorizon



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen, Kid Lestrade, Kid Mycroft, Kidlock, New Friendship, Star Wars - Freeform, movies - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-07
Updated: 2014-06-07
Packaged: 2018-02-03 18:30:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1754143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EventHorizon/pseuds/EventHorizon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Young Greg Lestrade has money for a film and he plans to make the most of it… happily, someone else has something similar in mind…</p>
            </blockquote>





	Saturday Matinee... the Younger Years

**Author's Note:**

> For a variation of this theme with adult versions of our boys - [Saturday Matinee](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1754133)

Greg ran as fast as his legs could carry him towards the cinema because he was not going to miss one second of one preview since this was the best Saturday ever!  His mum had not only given him money for a ticket to watch his film but, and he still couldn’t stop grinning about this, enough for popcorn and a soda.  A _small_ popcorn and _small_ soda, but that was ok, because she usually only gave him enough for something to drink and made him eat before leaving.  Which is what all the mums did so he and his mates had to pool their money to get their snacks and pass them around so everyone got a taste.  Not that any of the bastards wanted to go with him today.  Stupid prats.  This was going to be a great film!  Yeah, _Star Wars_ was a dumb name, but it was going to be brilliant!

Screeching to a halt when he realized the tickets weren’t on sale yet, Greg ran in a circle for a minute to burn off the energy he had budgeted to bang on the ticket counter and burst through the cinema door, then leaned against the building to try and look cool and nonchalant.  It was only then that he realized he wasn’t alone.

      “Oh.  Hi!  Are you here to see the film, too?”

Not one of his mates, in fact, Greg hadn’t seen the boy before.  Maybe a little younger than he was and… well, he certainly didn’t dress like any of the pack of hounds he ran with.  Had an air about him, too.  Standing there, staring like he was studying something in school… but not in a bad way.  Just a curious way.  Which, with the posh clothes and ginger hair definitely set him apart from the rest of the lads he knew.

      “I cannot think of another reason one would be at the cinema at this time of day.”

And he definitely didn’t talk like… well, anyone Greg knew.  But it was nice, actually.  Refined and sort of… musical.

      “You could be robbing the place.”

      “I would never!  Besides, if I were perpetrating a robbery, I would not likely be standing here on the exterior, when the money and goods reside in the interior of the building.”

      “Good point.  Maybe you’re the lookout.”

      “Hmmmm… there is merit to that retort.  A lookout would need a vantage point to see approaching law enforcement officials and it is certainly not unheard of for unscrupulous gangs of thieves to use individuals my age in such a manner.”

      “So, are you?”

      “I am sorry to disappoint you, but no.”

      “Oh, well that’s ok.  If there was a robbery, they’d probably cancel the show and mum might not let me come back to a cinema that’s been burgled!  I’d miss my film!”

      “That would be a tragic outcome.  I would also miss my opportunity and… it would be unlikely that I would achieve another.”

      “Your mum doesn’t let you come to the cinema a lot?”

      “No.”

      “My mum doesn’t either.  Well, that’s not true, I guess.  I get to come at least once a month, but sometimes the film’s just awful or foreign and who wants to buy a ticket to something awful or foreign!  But this is going to be brilliant, I just know it!  I mean… look!”

Greg pointed at the posters and watched as the other boy studied them closely.

      “There’s spaceships and… I don’t know what that man has in his hand but, it’s amazing, isn’t it?  And those are robots, a different sort of robots, but definitely robots and the girl has a gun!  I’m not sure what’s up with that big… helmety-person, but he’s got to be the villain because he’s in black and they’re in white.  It’s got everything!”

      “I admit that there are numerous classical and intriguing elements in the composition.”

      “My mates said the name was stupid and didn’t want to come, but they’ll be sorry once I tell them how brilliant it is.  What about you?  Why aren’t your friends here?”

Ok, maybe that wasn’t a nice question to ask because his new friend didn’t seem to like being asked about _other_ friends.

      “I… I do not have any friends… thatwouldcometothecinemawithmeImean.”

That last bit added at lightning speed, so it was a big fat lie in Greg’s opinion.  Which was sad, really, because everyone should have friends!  And… what’s his name… seemed like a decent sort…

      “That’s ok, because we can watch it together.  I’m Greg, by the way.”

      “I’m… I’m Mycroft.”

Who seemed very surprised that he was being invited to share the cinematic experience with another human being.

      “That’s a different name, isn’t it?”

      “It is my grandfather’s name.”

      “That explains it.  People back then had all sorts of names that don’t sound normal now.  I like it, though.”

      “You do?”

      “Yeah.  Sounds like one of those names of blokes in paintings sitting on a horse with their hunting dogs around them.  Adventurous, you know what I mean?  Maybe one of those wearing an explorer’s hat and looking off in the distance like he’s seen a tiger in the jungle.”

      “It does?”

      “Definitely!  Is that the sort of stuff you do?  Besides school, I mean?”

      “No… I have not led a particularly adventurous life.  Though… I can fence.”

      “Fence?”

      “Dueling, in a fashion.  With swords.”

      “WHAT!  You get to swordfight like the pirates and Musketeers!”

      “That is not quite the nature of the sport, but there is a baseline similarity.”

Greg hoped he wasn’t visibly drooling with excitement.  That was amazing!

      “Ok, that is _the_ most exciting thing I’ve ever heard.  Except this movie, but it’s right up there.  What else can you do?”

A question that seemed to startle Mycroft, but Greg supposed that if he didn’t have a lot of friends, or any friends, he probably never got asked anything like that.

      “I… I can draw reasonably well.  I can read Greek and Latin and have some facility with hieroglyphics…”

      “That is brilliant!  I love looking at all that Egyptian stuff.  I can’t read any of the writing, but it’s super to look at. And you can draw?  Here… draw something for me.”

Greg ran over to the rubbish bin and looked around until he found an old receipt and… he didn’t have a pencil.

      “I don’t have a pencil.”

      “I do.”

Which Mycroft extracted from his jacket pocket, along with a small notebook.

      “What’s that?”

      “It… I enjoy sketching and thought I might… if there was an interesting concept or image…”

      “You were going to draw things from the film?  What a great idea!  Do you have any sketches in there now?”

Greg watched the boy hesitate a moment, then hand over his notebook with something of the proverbial deep breath.  After a look inside, Greg had no idea what Mycroft had worried about.

      “Bollocks!  This is… wow!  All sorts of spaceships!  And… I recognize that!  Well, not really, but I ready about something like that and… it’s that submarine that Captain Nemo’s got, isn’t it?”

      “You know _Nautilus_?”

      “Not personally, but yeah.  Love that book.  The TARDIS!  You’ve got the TARDIS in there!  And Daleks!  Cybermen?”

      “A few pages along.”

      “BRILLIANT!  This is the greatest thing ever!”

Well, maybe that wasn’t actually the case.  Mycroft’s little smile might beat it by a hair, but he wasn’t going to let it distract him when there was all this… stuff to look at!

      “I love Doctor Who, too.  Never miss an episode.”

      “It… it is a very entertaining program.”

      “You love it, just admit it.  Actually, you don’t have to, since nobody fills up a book with fantastic Doctor Who drawings just because something’s _entertaining_.”

      “Very well, I shall admit to a fondness for the program.  I, also, do my utmost never to miss an installment.”

      “I knew it.  What are these?”

Mycroft squinted at the figures to which Greg was pointing and released a highly inappropriate giggle.

      “Dogs possessing verbal capability, robots and ants.  They are from a book by Clifford Simak.”

      “I have _got_ to read that!”

      “It is a rather cerebral tome.”

      “No adventure?”

      “Not as such, no.  Today’s cinematic offering shall put it to shame in that particular category.”

      “Then it won’t go at the top of my list.  I’ll see if the library has it, though.  Sometimes I like a book that makes my brain work.  Not everything has to be about space battles and excitement, though, I admit, that’s great to read.  Spend the afternoon with a good book where you can root for the heroes and hiss at the villains and whoop when something really amazing happens.”

      “And shall there be whooping today?”

      “From me?  Probably.  I sort of… well, I get a little caught up in things sometimes.  If it bothers you, you don’t have to sit with me.”

And another big look of surprise.  What did Mycroft think, that they weren’t going to sit together for this masterpiece?

      “You… you are willing to sit with me?”

Apparently he did.

      “Of course!  Why watch the film alone when we can watch it together and talk about it and I can watch you draw things from it and all of that!  This is going to be a _lot_ of fun!  And we’re mates now, aren’t we?  Mates sit together during a film.  And we can pool our snacks money to get a big soda and popcorn so we don’t have to make do with those weedy little ones.  Barely enough to keep a body alive, especially through an exciting film!”

Why did Mycroft look so shocked?

      “What’s wrong, Mycroft?”

      “You consider me your… mate?”

Oh yeah… no friends.  Needed to remember that.  But that wasn’t the case anymore, so no he didn’t!

      “Of course!  We’re chatting like mates and we like the same sorts of things.  Yeah, you’re a little quieter than me, but that doesn’t matter.  I can be quiet, too, just not when I’m about to watch a brilliant film.  But I’ll do my best so I don’t embarrass you.”

      “NO!  I mean, that is not necessary.  You should be permitted to demonstrate your enthusiasm without restriction.”

      “So, you won’t mind sitting with me?”

      “On the contrary, I am looking forward to the experience.”

      “Great!  And… do you have to go home right afterwards?”

      “I… it is unlikely that my absence will be noticed until nightfall.”

      “Snuck out, huh?  Good for you.  I was wondering, then… maybe you want go to the bookshop down the street and look at what’s new and talk about what we’ve read and haven’t read and they have magazines, too, to look at and… yeah.  Want to go?”

Ok, that smile was even bigger than the other one.  He and Mycroft were going to have _lots_ _and lots_ of fun today.  This was the best day ever!  Watch a fantastic film, get to watch that film with a new friend who liked to go to bookshops and look around and even if they got chased out after awhile like he usually did it was going to be tops!

      “I would enjoy that very much.”

      “Great!  And look, the window’s opening.  Got your money?”

      “Ready and, as they say, waiting.”

      “Yes!  And we’re first in line, so we’ll get the best seats.”

      “That _is_ a vital element of the film-watching experience.”

      “Next time, we can get here even earlier and maybe do something before the film starts.”

There was that surprised look again.  Mycroft really needed to get over being surprised at every little thing.

      “You would like to repeat this experience?”

      “Oh yeah.  If the next film they run isn’t good, that’s ok, because we can just do something without watching a film.  There’s lots to do around here, actually.  Or we can just watch telly, maybe when Doctor Who is on; you can come to my house and watch it with me, for instance.  If you want to, that is.”

      “That would… I would greatly relish the opportunity.”

      “Then it’s settled.  What?  Oh, sorry.  Two tickets for _Star Wars_.  One for me and one for my friend, Mycroft…  YAHHH!!! We got tickets!”

      “A very whoop-worthy occasion.”

      “We really do think alike.”


End file.
